Bed quilt or the like and process of making the same



Oct. 8. 1940. l'r, E. KATZNER 2,237,621

BED QUILT 0R THE LIKE AND PROCESS 0F MAKING THE SAME Filed Aug. 2. 195sumu I.' lum l:

INVENTOR. FEED L KHTZ/VA" BY f [1Km AmRNEYs.

Patented Oct. 8, 1940 PATENT oFEIcE BED QUILT OR THE LIKE AND PROCESSMAKING THE SAME Fred E. Katzner, Forest Hills, 4N. Y., assigner to TheComfy Manufacturing Co., Baltimore,I Md., a corporation of MarylandApplication August 2, 1938, Serial No. 222,577

2 Claims.

This invention relates to bed quilts, pillows or the like. The object ofthe invention is particularly directed to the production of bed quiltswhich have a high efficiency of insulation, are soft and resilient, tendto retain their initial thickness and uniformity of distribution o-finsulating material without substantial shifting of the insulatingmaterial.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 represents a corner portion of a quilt embodyingthis invention, portions being broken away to show thesuccessive layersof the filling; Fig. 2 represents a cross-section of the insulatingmaterials embodied in the quilt, on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3is a section of a portion of a quilt with all parts assembled and beforestitching.

It has been recognized for years that certain filling or stuffingmaterials, used as the insulating medium in the manufacture of quilts,shift away from the stitching and collect in an end or corner of thequilt pockets or cells, leaving considerable areas of the quilt withoutinsulating material. This has been particularly true of kapok when usedas a filler or stuing and consequently kapok, although a good insulator,has not been successfully and commercially used as an insulatingmaterial for quilts.

Kapok is a short iibered material as compared with cotton; its libresare straight and the material readily tends to lump or ball rather thanlend itself to carding or weaving. The kapok fibres, however, arewater-repellent because of their waxy characteristics, and are resilientand buoyant or light. Their insulating characteristics are ideal. Thediiculty experienced heretofore in the use of kapok as an insulatingmaterial in bed quilts or the like, if its natural characteristics aretobe utilized, has led the industry to reject kapok as an insulatingmaterial for quilts. It can be utilized as a stuing, for instance indoll bodies, if it is packed tightly or forced into the body casing as aclosely packed mass.

The present invention overcomes the objectionable experience heretoforehad in the use of kapok as an insulating material for bed quilts and theadvantages of this invention will appear from this specification.

The quilt l has two facing materials 2-2 made preferably of awovenmaterial, silk, rayon, cotton, dyed or decorated to provide anouter covering of fanciful and attractive nature. Directly beneath andagainst each inner surface of the facing sheets 22, is a sheet 3-3 ofcarded cotton or cotton batting in the form of a continuous sheet-fluffyvand loose in texture. Sheet cotton `V `in its virgin form, white,cleaned and carded into sheet form, measuring between one-half of Yaninch to one inch in thickness, is preferably used.

Each sheet of cotton weighs approximately one pound to the standard sizequilt measuring 72 inches by 84 inches. Intermediate of the two sheetsof cotton 22, a loose, fluffy mass of kapok 4 is provided. The mass ofkapok is not carded,

felted or garnetted but'is in a loose mass, posi- "l tioned between thetwo continuous loose, fluffy cotton sheets 2 2, in irregular order, butpreferably of substantially uniform thickness. The combined thickness ofthe two sheets of cotton and the intermediate layer of kapok representspreferably a thickness of between two and two and one-half inches. Theusual quilting stitches 5 are sewn through the iacings 2 2, the cottonsheets 3-3 and incidentally pass through such kapok which is in linewith the course of the stitches. The stitches 5 are preferably arrangedin a predetermined order, dividing the quilt into units or pockets 6,(either square, diamond or tubular form), each unit or pocket 6 beingbounded by stitching 5. It will thus be observed that each quilted unitor pocket 6 represents a definite area ofA the entire quilt comprising aportion of the continuous facings 2 2, a portion of the continuouscotton sheets 3-3, and a confined portion of the mass of kapok. Thekapok and the cotton interengage and the kapok thereby tends to anchorin its originally varranged position and will not shift or ball into acorner or one end of its unit or pocket The layers of cotton and kapok,at the lines of stitching, are substantially compressed or drawntogether, but the kapok and cotton nevertheless extend between the linesof stitching and insulate along such thinned portions.

It will be observed from Fig. 3 of the drawing that whereas the kapok isinitially laid in a fairly uniform layer between the cotton sheets, thequilting operations tend to draw the facing materials snugly around thecotton layers and slightly draw the kapok, in the individual pockets,into irregular configuration, the cotton layers closely conforming tothe surface contour of the kapok. Each kapok mass in the individualpockets is connected by a neck of kapok with the next adjoining kapokmass. The cotton sheets likewise extend through the stitching(compressed at such lines), but throughout the quilt the cotton sheetsare interposed between the facings 2-2 and the kapok mass. It isimportant that, in the course of manufacture of the quilts, the kapokmass and cotton sheets should retain, in the individual pockets, theirloose, fluiy condition, which will preserve the ideal characteristics ofthis invention.

A quilt made according to this invention has inherent resiliencyquali-ties and .tends to retain i-ts luy condition and readily returnsto a ufy condition when compressed. Such quilts afford considerablewarmth but, nevertheless, are light in weight. The kapok especiallyremains. uffy, resembling in this respectI the uiy characteristic ofdown. Kapok and cotton are readily available, are inexpensive in pricewhen compared to wool or down, both have insulating characteristics andare clean and sanitary.

When constructing a quilt according to this invention, a sheet of theloose, uffy cotton is cut to size andthe required thickness of kapok islaid thereon in a generally uniform layer. The other sheet of cotton,likewise cut to size, is superposed vupon the kapok mass and thissandwich is then associated with the facings and stitched or quilted.

It is preferred to use the cotton sheets in the form of a carded, loose,fluffy mass, but the cotton sheets may `also be utilized in the form offelted sheets but then loosely elted.

The amount of kapok which is incorporated in the quil-t is discretionarywith the manufacturer within certain limits, but completely satisfactoryresults will be obtained if a pound of kapok is used in ya. standardquilt measuring 'l2 inches by 84 inches, evenly distributed in a layerin the manner `accomplished by an operator who, after weighing thekapok, distributes the pound of kapok evenly by hand over the underlyingcotton sheet. Such a mass of kapok has the required resiliency tomaintain the quilt full and to provide the necessary .amount ofinsulation.

I claim:

1. A bed .comfortable comprising two facing sheets, an internal layer ofkapok distributed substantially equally throughout substantially thearea of the comfortable, said layer of kapok being arranged in alternateportions of loose, fluffy masses and connecting narrow neck portions, acontinuous sheet of loose, fluffy carded cotton on each side of thelayer of kapok and contacting the outer surface of said Ilayer ofk-apok, rows of stitching bordering the iiufly portions of said kapokmass and extending through said narrow necks of said kapok, through bothfportions of the cotton sheets lying against said narrow necks of kapokand through the adjacent portion of the facing sheets, said stitchingretaining ,the kapok mass at said narrow necks in [compressed conditionand in materially less thickness than said loose, fluiy portions of saidkapok mass.

2. In a quilt of the character set forth in claim 1, in which the quiltis substantially between two and two and one-half inches in thicknessand in which, in a standard quilt, Isubstantially one pound of kapok isevenly distributed throughout the central portion of the quilt and eachcotton sheet weighs substantially one pound, the kapok and the cottonsheets, along the lines of stitching, being closely drawn together bythe stitching to form thin necks, preserving the continuity of thecotton sheets and the kapok between adjoining pockets.

FRED E. KATZNER.

